


Broken Hearts and Fractured Minds

by SourOrchard



Series: The Children of The Realms [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Accidental Self-Harm, Dadza, Enderman-Ghast Ranboo, Eret is a Good Person, Forced Registry of Hybrids, Found Family, Fundy Is A Spy, Gen, Hostile Mob Hybrids, Hybrids, Isempi (Dream SMP), Isempi-Antarctic Empire Alliance, Magic, Manipulated Karl, Manipulated Tubbo, Manipulative Quackity, Memory Loss, Mental Health Issues, Motherly Darryl Noveschosch (BBH), New L'manburg Sucks In This, Niki deserves all the love, Older Sibling Eret, Older Sibling Niki | Nihachu, Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Self-Blame, Self-Esteem Issues, The Antarctic Empire, The Badlands, The End Is A Cruel Place, They/Them Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Is A Spy, Trauma, Trust Issues, Wilbur Soot Is A Great Actor, Wilbur Soot Was A Spy, Wither Hybrid Eret
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:40:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28485495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SourOrchard/pseuds/SourOrchard
Summary: As a general rule, Hostiles are dangerous. Things to be hunted and chased to their dying days.The result of that was many Hostiles fleeing to the End. Sure, the empty wastelands isn't much better then being hunted, but at least they can live their lives.How wrong they were.(TW's at the beginnings of chapters and some other more common ones are in the tags.)
Relationships: BadBoyHalo & Ranboo, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Ranboo, Clay | Dream's Sister Drista & Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Darryl Noveschosch & Ranboo, Eret & Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu & Ranboo, No Romantic Relationship(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: The Children of The Realms [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2067933
Comments: 9
Kudos: 270





	1. ruins of his mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> local child has a panic attack, more at 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWs: panic attack, mild implied/referenced discrimination

Sometimes, when Ranboo is observant, he notices small things.

Things that would mean nothing to anyone else, things that would be unnoticeable. The way Fundy's hand hovers subconsciously on the hilt of his sword when Ranboo gets to close, Tubbo constantly maintaining Ranboo in the corner of his eye and Niki being the only one who doesn't show any unease or slight jumpiness around him.

He has a hard time not noticing these things, as time goes on. His thoughts gnaw at him, whispering that they knew what he did, how he hurt them.

Despite the fact he knew they didn't know, his paranoia upped tenfold. His mask was dug up out of the bottom of his enderchest and tightened to his face once again. It hadn't been there for nearly two years now and the straps dug into healed flesh, agitating it. It hid his enderman fuzz and his ghast scales. His eyes were hidden under his sunglasses, hiding the red glow and the toxic green combo that often resulted in stares longer then he was comfortable with.

Everyone's eyes stayed on him for a few seconds longer then usual long enough to notice as he stepped out of his house with his mask on for the first time they've seen him with it. His gloves got rubbed together every couple of seconds, and he itched to scratch and chew at the raw skin on his knuckles. 

Paranoia throbbed in his head, and a soft whine leaked from him. Tubbo hesitantly began walking towards him, reaching out carefully "Ranboo? Are-are you-" 

Without consent, a warning hiss fled his lips as he took a step back, hunched over slightly. His head ached as his mind started to growl and snarl, hissing that Tubbo was going to hurt him, he wanted his loot, he was going to get him. A bit of fire flickered past his lips, unknown to Tubbo as he teleported away.

  


_Run run, their going to catch you, run run run-_

  


He landed in the middle of a field, the buzzing of bees around him as he collapsed into the flowers. Pollen tickled his nose, and a sob slowly escaped his lips. Slowly, he got to his knees. Surely Tubbo would hate him now. He had hissed at him with no reason, he would hate him now, fear him now. He slowly got to his knees as he sobbed, hot firey tears from both eyes.

  


_They'll all hate you now. You remember this, don't you ∷⚍リリᒷ∷?_

  


A gurgling enderman scream left his lips, and he could hear the bees in his immediate vicinity go silent. The strap itched at his skin, taunting him of his freakish skin and a ghast sounding meow of distress poured loose. It escalated quickly, a phantom burn spreading across his face and his distressed mob noises getting louder as panic flooded him.

Ranboo's hands scrambled desperately to tug the mask off his face, he had to get it off now. His mind forgot how to unlatch the velcro that held it in place.

More fire flickered from his lips, the mask fizzling slightly as it began to melt under the heat of the nether. His sunglasses tumbled uselessly into the grass, and with a desperate sob he tore the mask off and started to tub at his hair "Shut up, shut up!"

  


_Oh my little ∷⚍リリᒷ∷, don't you know that I'll always be here? A reminder of what you did to her?_

  


He started to pull harder, elbows hitting the ground as he kneeled over on his hands and knees, sobs shaking his frame. "I didn't have a choice-I-I-" Memories leaked through the walls he had built to keep them back, the screams of a terrified woman, a building alight in flames.

  


_∷⚍リリᒷ∷, there was always a choice._

  


He managed to slur out a half brained "D-don't c-call me th-that, I'm-I'm not yours anymore." Before his breaths began to speed up, lava-like tears fizzling against the damp grass as they hit the ground. A hysterical sob left his lips before he took another fleeting gasp of air, tumbling forward into the dewy grass as his arms finally gave out.

A final, shuttering sob left his body as he lay there. Time blurred, and the wet grass was fizzling and popping against his skin. The cool air breeze carried laughter through it as a group of travelers passed nearby. They were oblivious to the plight of a young enderman-ghast circled up in a field nearby, mumbling out denials and curses to a voice that only he could hear.

It's voice was like a new piece of sandpaper, slowly wearing down on Ranboo's mind and f̶r̶e̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶. He didn't want to go back. He couldn't go back to the End, where they watched and silently awaited his return.  
  


He ran for a reason.  
  


Then, just as sudden as it had come, it went silent. The sneers and taunts of his h̶i̶s̶ ̶m̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ it vanishing. It wouldn't be gone for long, it never was. It didn't like a runner, and he was certainly a runner. 

Slowly, but hesitantly, he dragged himself to his feet. His suit was covered in grass stains, green rubbed into his cheek and his tie. For a long moment, he just stood there. In the middle of that lonely field, in the middle of the night. Faintly, he wondered when the sun had set, but pushed the question aside.

What matters now is finding somewhere to hunker down and build those walls again, keeping it and the memories out at any cost-"Hey, aren't you Ranboo?" 

His mind slowed and panic burst through him as he whipped around and made eye contact with a man on one of the three horses that had approached him while he was... preoccupied with his thoughts.

The man was recognizable to Ranboo. Sapnap, one of the knights of Dream. Dream himself was nowhere to be seen, but his other knight George was sitting on Sapnaps left side, watching him silently

On Sapnap's right side sat the king, Eret. Their sunglasses were up on their head, but they were already pulling them down as Ranboo turned. They fell into a silence as Ranboo stuttered out a few incoherent words. 

Sapnap silently waved a hand, encouraging him to finish stuttering and speak up. "I-I uh-yeah."

Again, they fell into a silence as Sapnap turned and locked eyes with George, the two of them seeming to have a completely silent conversation. They maintained eye contact as Eret spoke up. "You're very far out from L'manburg. What are you doing out here?"

Unknown to Ranboo, he had started to gnaw on his knuckles, making Eret immediately want to stop him from doing so and damaging the already visibly bloody hands. In response, Ranboo simply shrugged and began to fidget with his tie. 

Did they know about what happened? If they did, wouldn't they have attacked already? Or where they trying to bring his guard down so they could tear him to shreds? 

  


_Don't trust them, little ∷⚍リリᒷ∷._

  


His thoughts, now rudely cut off by h̶i̶s̶ ̶m̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ it petered out as he hissed under his breath "Shut up and go die in a hole." Georges head snapped towards him and he ruffled his eyebrows slightly in confusion. "..What was that?"

Now gaining the full attention of all three of them, he fell back into nerves and fumbled out a quick "Nothing! I didn't say anything, must be the wind." Disbelief was in all of their eyes as Sapnap and Eret turned to look at George, who made slight a grunt of disbelief and 'sure, why not.' Balled into one.

Had he heard? Was that even possible? Was it even possible that he had heard the mumble to h̶i̶s̶ ̶m̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ it? Did they think he was insane now? Would they throw him into a cell and let him rot?

Hand drifting back up to his mouth, he started gnawing on it again with his sharp teeth as his eyes glazed over, falling into his thoughts. Unbeknownst to him, the three where staring at him in concern. 

They fell into soft whispers as they tried to figure out what to do. Only soft strains of conversation made their way into Ranboo's ears, but it's not like he could hear them, with how far he had dug a hole into his own thoughts.

"Ahem. Kid? You there?" 

Ranboo's head shot back up and he made a startled _grk_ as he took a step back. All three of them jumped a little at the sound, but immediately containing themselves as Eret moved forward. When had they gotten off of the horse?

"Would you like to come with us?" Immediately, that question open a floodgate of worries. Worry after worry bounced around in his mind, hitting the walls of his brain with thunks as they got tossed around.

But, eventually, his mind settled on one prominent worry. Were they luring him in? Why had Dream banned the End, anyways? Did he know? Did he know about it?

Voice laced in suspicion, he narrowed his eyes slightly at the human standing before him. "Are you going to do something to me?" A sad sigh came from Sapnap, and George muttered something to himself as he snapped a stick in half. 

Eret just looked sad, before covering it up with false confidence. "We won't. I swear it on the Four Realms." A shudder ran through Ranboo at the oath, and his eyes widened.

The oath solidified into a ball in his chest, around the enderpearl-fireball that rest there. Eret, knew what that oath meant. They knew how to say it with certain inflections and grammar to make it a true Four Realm oath. So many who speak that oath speak it falsely, unaware of the power it holds over the children of the Realms.

The power that only a hybrid can feel and speak. 

Eret was a hybrid. And, at that, one who knew of the old and long forgotten power of a true Four Realms oath.

  


This changes things.

  


In his daze of shock at this massive realization, he wasn't sure when he got onto Eret's horse. He wasn't sure at what point his trembling got to the point that Eret could notice it and carefully freed one of his hands, twisting slighting to rest it on Ranboo's head. 

He wasn't sure when he purred slightly, and Eret softly chuckled before pulling their hand back. Easily, Eret fell into conversation with the two others and Ranboo sat on the horses rump, legs carefully holding himself in his spot.

Eyes going up to the sky, he carefully began sorting his thoughts into his mind cabinets. Maybe they would help him, he pondered. Maybe they could help him force it into a box it couldn't leave and he could finally ignore it.

  


Maybe he could be safe here. With these knights, not exactly in shining armor, but to him, the angels from the sky.


	2. quietly shattering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWs: panic attack, accidental self harm, implied/referenced discrimination

_ “So what you're telling me is that you kidnapped a L’manburgian child?” _ _  
_ _  
_ The group was in silence around a fire, and Sapnap winced slightly as he poked at it while considering his next words carefully. “That.. That makes it sound more malicious then it really is-”   
  
The communicator was sitting in the grass, on speaker. Dream’s exasperation was audible from the short distance call system, the static barely quieter then his voice. Ranboo was sitting in the grass, his hair wet from the dew and dripping slowly down the sunglasses Eret had given him.   
  
Eret had noticed him avoiding eye contact and being very uncomfortable about not having something to cover his eyes and offered their spare pair to him. He had taken them with shaky hands and put them on, but had immediately relaxed.   
  
Despite the sunglasses, he was still jittery. He, despite the oath earlier, still didn’t trust any of them.

Why would he? He’s been stabbed in the back to many times to count, the majority of which he doesn’t remember, but sit in his books and instinct. 

His mental state has never really recovered from them. At some point he turned from naive and easy to trick, to it being nearly impossible to gain his trust.   
  
_ “Bring the kid back to the castle, and we’ll take them to L’manburg. Make us look like heroes, or whatever.” _ _  
_ _  
_ There were multiple hums of agreement around the camp as Ranboo pulled his legs up and rested his chin on his knees, letting out an endermen gurgle of dismay.

A head snapped towards him and George squinted at him, clearly trying to figure out what noise Ranboo had just made. But how had he heard? He was literally across the campfire from him, that simply wasn’t logical. 

After a few seconds, George turned back to the communicator and asked Dream something, but Ranboo didn’t hear.

His brain had submerged itself into his mind, sinking into the back to avoid detection and criticism. Of course he’d have to go back, what had he been thinking? 

Ranboo wasn’t blind. Even he, with his… small memory issues, could see the behavior in L’manburg worsening towards hostile hybrids. It was so close to collapsing and lashing out, he had seen this before.

He had seen it before on servers. His book said he had, and noted how to see the signs and to get out as quickly as possible.

All the boxes were being ticked. But.. he couldn’t leave. He’d be deemed a traitor (like Tommy) and hunted down to be executed. And that surely wouldn’t help the stigma towards hostile hybrids.

Didn’t he deserve it? To be shoved around and treated like an animal? He did kill her, afterall.

Jerking with a quiet  _ grk _ , he was greeted by George's ever-concerned gaze. Shoulders shaking, he tucked his forehead against his knees and tried to push the thoughts away. 

The thoughts nagged him as he desperately recited one of Niki’s recipes on loop in his head. Two cups of flour, mix the dough for five minutes, add half a cup of milk then two more cups of flour…

The words left his lips in a mumble as he slumped and dozed off, his head buried on his knees and his hair being the only thing visible above his gangly legs.

The three near him were silent after he jerked, and the mumbling started. It sounded like he was reciting something to try and calm himself down, and they didn’t want to touch him in case he lashed out instinctually. 

When he slumped, Sapnap and Eret looked at George silently. Turning his head to the side slightly and closing his eyes, listening, he mumbled quietly “He’s out.”

Eret let out a sigh of relief, and glanced at the kid again. That position couldn’t be comfortable, and theres no way he isn’t going to be cramped the next morning. They itched to move him into a more comfortable place, but who knows if the kid would wake up and freak out or not.

The poor thing is jittery enough as it is.

They would be lying if they said they didn’t notice the constant twitches and hostility towards everyone around him. They would be lying if they said they weren’t resisting the instinct to older sibling the hell out of this poor teenager.

A soft groan came from the communicator, and Dream spoke after the period of silence.  _ “Something wrong, Eret?” _   


His voice was soft, not the harsh tone he could use when angry about something, when his hybrid side got out of control. It was concerned, worried, open.

Despite being rough on the edges, Dream was a soft person, and extremely protective of those he cared about-To the point he’d lose himself to his instincts when someone he loves is hurt.

A huff left them and they began to talk slowly, their thoughts trying to order themselves so they could get how they felt across to their friends. 

“I’m worried about him. The kid, that is. He’s sleeping sitting up, he has well developed calming techniques, he’s jumpy… It keeps going.”

They didn’t lift their head as they removed their sunglasses and silently cleaned them off. Two sets of eyes landed firmly on them as they talked, and Dream was completely silent as he listened.

“The noise he made when you said that we’d take him back. I’ve heard it once in my life. A person attacked a group of endermen, and in their panic to get away, they left one behind.”

They shuddered at the memory. The poor thing had been so scared. She had called for her family as the hunter held eye contact with her, not letting her teleport. They will never forget the mournful screams in the distance as she was killed. 

It broke their heart. It was even worse when they realized that she had just been a child and the family started singing in galactic. Mourning her loss.

Humans could be so heartless.

“The noise he made is the same one that that poor enderman made before being killed. Despair.”

The group fell into a silence as Eret finished his statement. They finished it with a sense of finality, surety. 

Dream slowly breathed in, before speaking quietly  _ “...Have any of you heard any news from Tommy or Fundy in New L’manburg recently?” _

Silence greeted his question, and he cursed slightly.  _ “I’ll work on getting back into contact with them. Their father and brothers are getting worried. I just hope that Quackity hasn't figured out that they are spies.” _

Multiple hums of agreement as they all turned to the fire. Georges goggles reflected the flames, the orange dancing silently across the black reflective glass. Sapnap slumped against Eret’s shoulder, to the wither hybrid's amusement.

Dream was often judged on what he was like on the surface. He came off as rough and cruel, but really he just had a hard time trusting. 

The Isempi is the beginning of an attempt to form a safe place for hostile hybrids. It was disgusting to him that people could treat people so horribly just because they had different looks and features.

The Antarctic Empire rested right next to them, and Dream happily formed an alliance. Most of the Empire’s small population were hybrids.

The king and his eldest son were both hostile hybrids. The second eldest was a sheep, a cheerful and kind young man who could act like nobody else. There was a fox hybrid that nobody really knew the age of, and the youngest was a raccoon, a hissy kid who can and will bite you.

He asked if Phil would be alright with sending his three youngest in to infiltrate the Isempi members to try and root out people who would be cruel to hostiles. 

He agreed, with his sons’ eagerness practically suppressing the man's own opinion of it being dangerous but a good cause, only if his sons agreed to go and Dream would protect them to his best.

And he was. It was hard, even with Wilbur’s stellar acting to be a madman along with Tommy and Fundy’s eagerness to help make the place safe for hostiles.

In his subconscious, he had been desperately planning a way to get Tommy and Fundy out after Tommy’s most recent report. The attitude towards the few hostiles living in New L’manburg was horrendous. 

Shoved around, refused service by some stores, and people who acted nicely towards hostiles? Glared at and treated horribly. Niki was planning to get out, and the city in between the Empire and Isempi had an empty bakery that Wilbur has been working on.

The city was one of Dream’s proudest accomplishments. It was twenty percent hostiles, fifty passive, and the rest human. Cruelty towards hybrids was cracked down on hard, however very rare.    
Hostiles with difficulty stopping themselves from getting mob-anger were given help, help find ways to cope. It was somewhere that Dream loved. 

But he had to hide it. Only those who were trusted deeply by hybrids and hybrids themselves were allowed in. At least until he takes out New L’manburg, Isempi will have to wait for its intended purpose.

Having a country without a goal like his so close was dangerous. From what he’s heard, they’ve started to actively encourage harassment of hostiles and are forcing hybrids in general to register themselves.

If they didn’t register, it was a criminal offense.

It was horrifying, and the hostiles were all but gone from New L’manburg. He thought all of them had gotten out, but this kid had appeared out of nowhere. 

George had apparently brought up the registry off-handedly, and the kid acted like it’s a normal thing.

Maybe it was for other countries. But it was deeply disturbing to the Isempi and Empire, who were trying to make a safe pocket of the world.

And he had hoped that Tubbo wouldn’t be corrupted, the kid had seemed like a nice kid. But he was so easily manipulated by Quackity. And the worst part is that the last report was more than a month ago. 

Karl sounded like a nice enough guy, but again, easily manipulated by Quackity. And Fundy was being forced to comply for fear of being executed.

Tommy was silent. Fundy hasn’t sent any updates. This kid, dare he say it, could literally be a treasure trove of information. 

But, he reminded the more primal part of his brain, he is just a teenager. A scared and confused one at that. The other side of his brain bickered back that he should be able to make him work for him, but he shoved it down and mentally growled at it until it shut up.   
  
It would be best if he ignored the issue, he concluded. If the kid needed to get out, he would. He sounded smart enough, and hybrids are good at keeping themselves alive.

Take the kid back, stroke a good rep with New L’manburg, and get out.

~~ He’d regret that decision. ~~

* * *

The screams have scared themselves permanently into his mind.

They would truly never leave him alone, would they? Ironic. He wishes he could forget. The one thing he truly wishes to forget, he cannot. 

Sometimes he wakes up sobbing, begging for mercy, he didn’t understand what he was doing, please don’t hurt him, he didn’t understand, please let him live.

But the demons of his past never answered. He was left to sob into his arms, haunted by his past mistakes and demons.

In the end, it’s not like anyone will ever hear his desperate cries for help in his native language, much less understand what he was begging for.   
  
He hid from the possibility that he would end up becoming like those he left behind. Cruel. Ruthless. Uncaring. Attached to something useless, something that will never hug them back, comfort them at night, calm them.

Some nights, he can feel the muzzle around his face, tightening with every little yank from his  master tormentor. 

Some nights he hears the echoes of his mistakes. His siblings whimpers and sobs as he tries to comfort Ranboo while crying themselves. He remembers meeting his sibling for the first time. He had been so scared. 

He remembers the fear of watching his siblings being dragged to the pit in a muzzle and suppressors clamped around his wrists. His siblings snarls of fury. His siblings screams as they locked eyes and they saw how scared Ranboo was.

He remembers the vivid panic when he realized he couldn’t remember his siblings name.

These are things he cannot forget.

The most scarring parts of his young life, he cannot forget.

And yet, he forgets where he put his armor, the voice of Tommy after two days of not seeing him, the face of his sibling after barely a few hours in his fear.

His memory always got worse when he was stressed.

Despite all of this, he still can hear the screams. 

And the ringing never fading either. He didn’t think it ever would, there were quite a few explosions.

These thoughts racing through his head as he shot up sobbing, begging, hysterical as he awoke on the cold wet ground.

The cold wet ground that felt nothing like his bed.

The cold wet ground that felt nothing like the endstone of the end.

Where was he, again? 

As he scrambled backwards, gasping for air as he tried to get his bearings, eyes darting back and forth to spot the three others sleeping around the campfire all getting up, one holding up his  their? hands in a futile attempt to calm him.

The words of confusion spilled from his lips in galactic, to the confusion of all but the one trying to calm him. He  they? spoke slowly in galactic, reassurances coming easily and slipping into Ranboo’s ears.

They were calming. The words flowed easily, a gentle whisper of calmness in his mind.

Galactic has that effect. It flowed with an elegance like no other language, unlike the harsh vowels and jumps of english  such a cruel language. Fitting.

The trembling that vibrated through his body only intensified as the speaker infront of him carefully pulled him into his  their? Why is his brain telling him that it’s their? Arms.

The hug was careful and ginger. But he cracked, and sobbed even harder, shaking violently as ghast mewls and occasional staticy hums left him. 

His skin itched with the contact as he tightly hugged them back, tucking his face deeply into the crook of their neck. A soft whine left him, and he felt something  _ tug  _ as something he hasn’t had in years clicked.

  
  


_ A sibling bond was a rare occurrence in-between unrelated hybrids, but it can happen. When it does happen, emotions can be transmitted across it and distress as well. _

_ In moments of extreme distress, older bonds will cut the bind temporarily to limit the pain transmitted to their sibling.  _

_ Only two cases record the full accidental snipping of the bond while just trying to stop the pain of their sibling. It occurs when the distress never stops long enough for the bond to naturally come back, and if held away long enough, they will not reconnect until they hug or make affectionate contact again. _

_ However, it is theorized that if the disconnect lasts for too long, they will instinctively block the memories of their even after reconnecting. The bond will be buried while it tries to figure out if the world is safe or not. _

_ This would mainly occur from extreme amounts of trauma, resulting in the victim trying to block out everything about their mate. _

_ Possibly, the one that is cut off would suffer from short term memory loss, confusion, a state of fear, and paranoia. _

_ This theory has not been proven. _

  
  


As his breaths turned from sobbing gasps to a hiccupping, the memory of where he was decided that, yeah, this was a good time to present itself.

He let out a  _ grk _ as he yanked away, throwing himself backwards, gasping as his eyes darted around. Yes, he was still at the campfire. Yes, he had been hugging Eret. Yes, George and Sapnap were watching with visible concern.

Where they worried that he was going to hurt them? Not that he blamed them, he was more than inhuman. He wasn’t human. Not even in the loosest translation of the term human.

~~ He remembers Tubbo’s flinch when he smiled with his teeth, flashing his fangs. ~~

~~ He doesn’t smile with his teeth anymore. ~~

A whine left him as he bit down on his hand. Hard. Copper stung his tongue, and he didn’t react, just biting down harder. Eret lifted his hand, and he flinched back. Hard. 

Scrambling for a hold with his feet, he was unaware of the mewls and gurgles of distress and fear he was making past his bloody hand.

~~Quackity didn't like it when he made mob noises.~~

A crack came from his hand, and he let out a shriek, yanking his hand from his mouth and dissolving into hysterical sobbing again.

Blood pooled from his hand, dripping into the grass and if he looked at it, he would have been able to see the white of bone peeking through the deep gashes in his skin being covered quickly by blood.

But he was too distracted tugging at his hair with his good hand while sobbing hysterically to notice. But the three in front of him? They very much noticed, and it was very much concerning.

Sapnap desperately dug around in his pack, trying to find the sedative splash potion he packed just in case Eret had another attack. Just enough to make someones mind slow and sluggish, but not enough to knock them out.

He remembered Eret complaining about it and feeling a bit guilty, but now? Now he was very happy he brought it for a short voyage.

Fingers finding the cold glass of the ball-like potion container, he yanked it out, turned, and chucked it hard at the feet of the freaking out hybrid.

Instantly, he was out. Slumped on the ground, silent besides a few petering whimpers and sobs.

There was only a split second of calm before George started digging through his own pack, pulling out his self-made first aid kit, digging through it while trying to remember what to use in a situation like this.

Hands trembling, Eret carefully pulled Ranboo up and sat there, holding him carefully in their arms as Sapnap pulled a healing pot out of his bag and poured some on a cloth, moving forward with the calmness of a man who has seen war and death.

The cloth was wrapped carefully around the cut as Ranboo looked around in bleary confusion, unable to speak but visibly uncertain. 

George strided over with bandages as Sapnap pulled the cloth back, revealing a horrible mess of fresh scabbing as his body attempted to stitch itself together.

When his hand was wrapped, Eret let out a long sigh and let Sapnap take Ranboo before burning their head in their hands.

“That went well.”

  
“Shut up George.”


	3. believe me when i say

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TWs: referenced/implied panic attack

The wind has always been calming to Dream.

It whistles and whines with the turns of ravines and caverns, chilling but oddly calm. 

And he loved the way it rustled his hair, and he would hum along with the eerie tunes and whistling.

Now, it also assisted in the battlefield.

When you stand in just the right place, you could hear people's conversations and pick up which points of vulnerability to pick at to make them angry.

When people are angry, they make mistakes.

This is something Dream knows well. Chip away at a sour spot hard enough, and they’ll crack. When someone is angry, they do not think with their brain, but rather their heart and body.

People make mistakes when angry. They are illogical and nonsensical, and that bothers him.

But Dream is angry.

Oh, he was angry. Not at anyone in particular, just to whoever decided to damage this childs mind enough that he’d crack like _this._ Tear apart his own skin and give himself permanent scars.

His teeth had caused caverns, his hand would never be the same again. 

These thoughts raced through his head as he watched Bad reapply the bandages because in his words ‘George is the least capable out of any of you to give medical attention.’

Slowly, he tried to control his breathing.

It was illogical to be so angry about this. He didn’t even know the kid, he hasn’t even spoken a word to him.

The air around them was tight with stress.

He could feel the anxiety, the worry. For a kid none of them knew, not because they were worried he’d die, no, because what had happened.

What had happened to this poor child to get this sort of reaction? 

To get a reaction so drastic, and chillingly similar to Eret’s attacks? From a kid?

He could hear George and Sapnap whispering to Punz to the side, and Eret was visibly deep in thought, staring out a window towards the setting sun.

The world outside shook from the wind, trees creaking complaints and builds swaying in an effort to remain standing.

A normal nightmare wasn’t an option, Dreams witnessed many nightmares and this reaction was unlike any he’s ever seen.

So very unlike the reactions he’s seen from George after a nightmare about him and Sapnap leaving him behind.

Unlike the gasps and sobs of Punz after dreaming of his haunted past.

Unlike Eret’s screams into his pillow when he wakes up from his dreams of the horrible place he escaped from.

Unlike his own trembling and hair tugging after dreaming of the desolate nether. Alone.

It was a reaction that reminded him of Sapnap when he awakes from dreams of his years as a soldier. However, just.. A bit more feral.

A soft voice arose from next to him as Bad leaned against the wall. “You alright?”

Rubbing his eye, he popped his back and stood up before replying. “Not really. You?”

A head shake before Bad collapsed into the chair next to his. “The kid won’t be able to properly use his hand again. He severed two tendons, his pinkie and ring finger will both be mostly numb and hard to use after this.”

Silence as Punz goes silent, and George and Sapnap look over.

“...I hope his right hand isn’t his dominant one, because all of his fighting abilities are about to be uprooted if not.”

A soft sigh left Dream, and he pushed his mask up, rubbing his eyes. “Poor kid.”

They fell into a calm silence, and eyes rested on Ranboo as the boy mumbled something in his sleep and shifted slightly. His hair was damp from a regen pot that George had accidentally spilt on him.

Bad was still holding off drying his hair, which made it steadily more and more annoying that they could visibly see the regen starting to dry and make his hair all crunchy.

Gross.

But, the fact that the kid had basically partially crippled himself was horrifying to them. It was something to be somber about. However, as they all sat there, they found themselves drifting into conversation in an attempt to distract themselves from the issue at hand.

“Where.. Where am I?” 

In unison, four heads snapped towards the bed where Ranboo was sitting up, clutching his arm to his chest. Bad was instantly up, walking towards the side of the bed. “Oh! You're awake, be careful, you hurt your hand quite badly.”

Ranboo, the poor kid, was visibly confused. “W-wait, what happened? Where am I?”

His eyes were darting around, trying to figure out where he was and how had he gotten there. His bafflement and fear was plastered across his face as Bad tried to calm him.

“You’re at Eret’s castle, they were taking you back to L’manburg when you had a panic attack and mauled your hand. Do you remember?”  
  
After a few seconds, he nodded slowly, breaths coming easier as he calmed down. “Y-yeah, I think I do.” 

Gently, Bad took Ranboo’s hand and began to take off the bandages, narrating what he was doing step by step as the others watched.

Normally, the narration would seem dumb. But the ghast-enderman was so confused and scared, he would probably bite Bad if startled.

Ranboo flinched when he saw the damage he did to himself and looked away, towards the window to stare out it. The leaves swayed harshly and quickly in the wind, and the trees steadily creaked from side to side.

Eret was quite sure they could see Ranboo’s shoulders relax. His eyes were fixed on the rainbow flag billowing in the distance. It’s colors were a beacon in the mostly plain surroundings. 

It stood out, and the colors danced across the grey and stormy horizon. Eret hummed softly as they stood up and rolled their shoulders. “Alright gentlemen, I think I’ll be off to get the horses their feed now.”

Multiple hums of acknowledgement, and Eret drifted out of the room. If Dream didn’t know any better, he would have brushed it off as a trick of the light.

But no. Eret was, in fact, hovering an inch off the ground. They had been so upset when they discovered how unconventional platforms were in combat, and improvised by deciding to float. Very stylish armor, as well, if Dream says so himself.

No, Dream didn’t make the armor. Anyone who said otherwise was a liar and a fool.

The wither genes allowed Eret to float at most half a foot off the ground, but any further and he would harm himself. But it was incredibly useful in combat.

Dream suddenly remembered that his mask was resting on the side of his face and he scrambled to pull it back into place. Once it was sitting firmly between any peering eyes, he lifted his hands to fidget with his hair.

It was in a messy bun that he hadn’t let down for about two days now, and he dreaded brushing it. He could feel how matted it was, and it would be horrible getting the knots out.

“Alright, now, try to move your hand like this please.” 

Bad was holding Ranboo’s hand and helping him see to what extent he had harmed his hand. He was carefully moving through different exercises, steadily, and gingerly, stopping whenever Ranboo winced. 

It wasn’t going that well.

If it wasn’t clear already, Ranboo clearly wouldn’t be able to use his hand for a lot of things now. But his book was open in his lap, and he occasionally wrote things down in it with his left hand while Bad talked.

If he could write with his left hand, hopefully his life wouldn’t be too changed by this… development. 

George and Sapnap had both followed Eret out to do their own things, and Dream let out a long sigh before turning to leave.   
  
“Dream? Could you grab that healing pot for me? I want to show Ranboo here how to treat his wounds.” 

With a groan almost too similar to a complaining teenager he turned and snatched it up. It was handed over to Bad, and he stood there waiting for Bad to order him around again.

Because, in all honesty, Bad had decided that Dream was his helper this time around. Eret had been onto something leaving early. Eret was always onto something, that’s why he was their main stragezier. 

Ah, he should have followed Eret. Horses were much better than handing potions to Bad.

Again, he slowly cracked his back. His spine popped with the movement, and the spine laying flat against it rippled in upwards and downwards like a wave with the popping. 

Like normal, the rib bones wrapping around his chest twisted with the movement and his wings resting beneath his skin twitched.

He knew that a normal skeleton laid beneath the bones he had collected in instinct and made an armor out of. He knew this, but sometimes he still wondered why he was so strange.

But he really wasn’t, he reminded himself. It was instinct to collect bones and make armor out of it, in fact he did it to a much smaller extent then most phantom hybrids. Most make full on set of armor, covering their skin completely.

Still, he got stares if he ever took off his sweater 

The sweat that dripped down his spine when he could feel that Punz hadn’t slept was infuriating but at least he knew when he hadn’t slept. Patches was his ‘exposure therapy cat’ that Bad had given him.

Patches was an angel but he still felt the immediate instinct to drop kick her every time he saw her. Which is frustrating. But the exposure helped and he adored her now.

“Dream? I asked you to hand me a rag, please?” Wordlessly, he handed Bad a rag and watched silently as Bad showed Ranboo how to soak the rag with a healing pot and hold it to the wound for five second intervals on and off.

It was oddly calming watching Bad teach someone how to treat their wounds. The half demon had a gentle aura around him as he corrected the teen in the bed in front of him with certainty and calmness.

Finally, Bad finished and glanced out of the window as the wind subdued for a moment before picking up with a howl. “Do you want to stay here Ranboo? Until the storm calms down?” 

The ghast-enderman hybrid bobbed his head, legs crisscrossing themselves as he quietly muttered “Can you… show me some other medical treatments? Please?”

A grin spread across Bad’s face and he eagerly launched into it, gleeful to have someone to show his practices to. Terrifying. 

Dream cannot even begin to imagine two Bads. It's horrifying to imagine, really. Hopefully Bad wouldn’t take an apprentice, with any potentials being L’manburgians and all, but by the way that they were talking…

No, he should hold out hope that Bad wouldn’t teach a mini-him in his stead. Never lose hope.

He twisted around and walked out of the room, hands tucked into his pockets. Bad paused and watched Dream leave with a sigh and a head shake before turning back to Ranboo.

“So, basically, if someone breaks their leg bad enough to snap it in half, you need to get to a medical base as quickly as possible. But until then, you need to brace in and snap it back into place…”

He trailed off, sinking into a rhythm as he recited things he has learned over the years and was taught. Ranboo hung onto his every word, writing becoming frantic in the notebook. 

Ranboo's hand flowing with surety but a franticness of a person who had experience with writing.

“Alright. You got that all written down?” 

A little head bob.

Bad sighed deeply and turned, shuffling through his stuff. “It’s a pity you’ll have to go back, I’ve heard the behavior towards hostiles is.. Horrible.”

The boy shrugged, eyes drifting to the window as he closed his notebook. He carefully secured the pencil to the side of the book as he responded, “It’s not that bad. I’ve seen worse.”

They fell into an awkward silence, and Bad spoke again, turning back. His eyes spoke of a void like no other, of a haunted past and lands. 

It spoke of twisting tales and fallen friends. Of lost trust and of kingdoms long grinded to dust.

“That mentality will get you killed.”

"Not might. Will. I've seen it before and I'm not about to watch you get stoned to death because of something you cannot control.”

A stiff silence followed, and Bad finished preparing a bag for Ranboo. He placed the bag next to Ranboo’s bed, and turned to leave with a simple statement.

“I’ll have Punz come and take you home once the storm has calmed down.”

The door swung shut behind Bad with barely a creak, leaving Ranboo alone to think about what he had just been left with.

* * *

The mist sprayed the sky as the water crashed against the rocks. 

At the head of the ship, a man stood. His glasses shielded his eyes, and his crew hustled around him. The rocks were treacherous to navigate, but they’ve done it before. 

They’ll do it again.  
  
“Captain!”   
  
With a slight tilt of his head, he acknowledged the sheep hybrid rushing up to him, her hair wooly and ears peeking out. “I’ve told you not to be so formal.”

She snickered as she came to stand next to him, eyes drifting over the rocky terrain in front of them. “It annoys you.”

“The birds have returned. My brother is in the harbor, awaiting for us to arrive. He has his men ready to strike, but one of his own, Letter Q, has been compromised.”

A slow exhale left the captain as he let his eyes turn back to his most trusted friend. 

To be simple, Letter Q being compromised was.. A massive deal. He was one of the most well informed. If it was true, that a witch had grasped his mind.. Well.

“Send a letter back to your brother, quoting these exact words…”


End file.
